Iron

About two months ago I went to see my doctor, and found out (this had nothing to do with me going there in the first place) that my Iron levels were very low. I had the same problem about a year before this visit, and to be honest, I had completely forgotten about it. I got iron supplement that I am now taking, and in a month or so I have to go back to check that they have worked ok.

Just thought I would share with you what I have learnt so far:

Iron is found in every cell of our body. Iron helps our bodies to make red blood cells,by binding to a protein called haemoglobin, this form of Iron transports Oxygen from our lungs around in the body and is important for burning of fats and carbohydrates. We need enough Iron to support immunity, energy levels and brain function

There are 2 different kinds of iron we get from food, Haem Iron and Non-Haem Iron.
Haem Iron is found in animal products, the best source is red meat (liver, kidneys even better), it is also found in chicken, tuna and eggs.
Non-Haem Iron is found in plant foods such as Quinoa, chickpeas, beans & lentils, sunflower seeds, green leafy vegetables and whole grains.
About 20% of Haem Iron is absorbed by our bodies, but only around 5% of Non-Haem Iron is absorbed!
Vitamin C help our bodies to absorb iron, so make sure you eat for an example an orange or a tomato with your meal to increase absorption. A Non-Haem Iron source can also help to absorb more of the iron in Haem Iron, so for an example, eating red meat with beans, lentils or green vegetables will increase the absorption.

Spinach is a green leafy vegetable, it is high in iron and also calcium, but it contains something called Oxalic acid, which binds to the iron (as well as the calcium) making it much harder for our bodies to absorb it.

Women need more Iron in their diet than Men, this because of menstrual periods.
Adult women need about 18 mg of iron each day, men 8 mg. Pregnant women need as much as 27 mg per day!

It is however also possible to get too much iron in the diet! So before starting to take Iron supplement a doctor should always be consulted.